A day equals a year in the bible Bible Numbers: A day can equal a year: The following are examples of a day representing a year in the bible 1) "A day for each year" in the account of the ten spies returning with a bad report to Moses about the Promised Land after spying it out for 40 days: "And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which you searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years..." (Numbers 14:33,34a) 2) Ezekiel is told to lie on his side 390 plus 40 days --- "a day for each year" "Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity.

For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year" (Ezekiel 4:4-6). 3) The Law of Moses commands that the 7th day be a day of rest, and that likewise the 7th year be a year of rest, (Ex. 20:8-11; 23:10-11). This lays a pattern for the very important prophecy of Daniel's seventy weeks. 4) Daniel's vision of the " seventy weeks " (490 days) " Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city ... from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks ...

And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease..." (Daniel 9:24-27) The "week" referred to here represents (primarily) a symbolic seven-year period. Thus once again, one day is made to signify one year. Here is why Daniel's "week" denotes seven years: a) This vision (of ch. 9) came to Daniel upon his understanding that the 70 years of Israelite exile (as prophesied by Jeremiah) had just elapsed: "In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem" (Daniel 9:2).

It is reasonable to deduce that since the occasion for Daniel's vision was his understanding of the 70 years of Jeremiah, and that since the vision to Daniel concerned a like number of 70 weeks, therefore 70 weeks can equal 70 (x 7) years. Nevertheless, Daniel's "week" as a literal 7-day-period is also a valid interpretation. Both days and years weave together. b) Seventy literal weeks would not be enough time to accomplish all the things mentioned as having to transpire within the scope of Daniel's "seventy-weeks" vision. For this reason, most evangelical scholars view the seventy weeks of Daniel as symbolic years. c) The Hebrew term for "weeks" is actually the plural of the word for "seven," without specifying whether it is days, months, or years; (see Walvoord "Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation", p. 219).

d) Daniel's "seven-weeks" (49 days) can be understood symbolically as 49 years because of it's similarity with the seven weeks (49 days) till Pentecost; and the seven weeks of Pentecost follows the patters of the seven-times-seven years (49 years) of the Jubilee, (Deut. 16:9, Lev. 25:8). e) The "dividing" of the last "week" of the 70 "weeks" is further explained in Daniel 12:9, where the 1290 days is mentioned. One-half ("dividing") of "one week" (i.e., of 7 years) amounts to this 1290 days; (i.e., 3.5 x 360 = 1260 days , + leap month = 1290 days ). Hence, one "week" must symbolize years in order for half-a-week to total 1290 days (instead of a literal 3ï¿½ days).

A fuller treatment of the 1290 shall be explained elsewhere , but for now please note the following: i) The 390 + 40 = 430 days/years of Ezekiel (mentioned earlier) are exactly one-third of 1290, (cf., Ezekiel 4:4-8, 5:2. I.e., 430 days x 3 = 1290 days). ii) The time from when Ezekiel was told to lay on his side 430 days symbolizing the siege of Jerusalem (593 BC), until the end of the literal siege of Jerusalem (586 BC), are 7 full years, or 3ï¿½ + 3ï¿½ years. iii) The total siege-length of Ezekiel's symbolic siege of 390 (+ 40) days, plus the 945 days of the literal siege, amounts to 1335 days ---the same figure found coupled with the 1290 days in Daniel 12:9.

iv) The fact that there are 1290 years from the entry into Egypt (1876 BC, which lasted 430 years until the exodus, 1446 BC), until the exile back again into Egypt (and Babylon) at the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC), is proof that 1290 days are intended to be years as well. v.) See for more. Bible Numbers: A day can equal a 1000 years: 1) The Apostle Peter says that, "one day ï¿½ is as a thousand years". "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day..." (2Peter 3:8,10). {Compare this in context also with Revelation 20:2-7.} Peter seems to be quoting Moses in the book of Psalms.

"Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations...You turn men back to dust, saying, "Return to dust, O sons of men." For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night." (Psalm 90:1,3,4) 2) In Genesis 2:17, it says: "In the day you eat of the fruit of this tree you shall surely die." It is no coincidence that those who lived before the Flood died just short of a 1000 years of age. Thus figuratively speaking, Adam, and all his offspring before the flood, died within a "day"---that is, within a thousand years. How Many Generations? How Many Generations?

Psalms 105:8 1,000 gen x 40 yr/gen = 40,000 yr He has remembered His covenant forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, (Psalm 105:8) First | Previous | Next | Last | | Index | Home Slide 16 of 109 The Bible does give an idea of how many generations have lived under God's commandments. At least three verses in the Old Testament indicate that humans have been around for at least 1000 generations. Since a biblical generation is usually listed at 40 years, this would suggest that modern humans have existed for at least 40,000 years.

References He has remembered His covenant forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, (Psalm 105:8) Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, (1 Chronicles 16:15) "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (Deuteronomy 7:9) Last Modified June 21, 2006 Apologetics The Thousand Years of Revelation 20 Las Heras, Mendoza (Argentina) e-mail fsaravi@fmed2.uncu.edu.ar It is my contention that present Christian teaching concerning the last things relies too much on the belief of a future earthly millennial kingdom. Therefore, it may be profitable to see whether the idea that the thousand years mentioned by John refers to a future kingdom is consistent with what the NT , and Revelation in particular, teaches on Satan�s binding, the resurrection and the reign of the saints.

Additionally, we should explore the clues provided by Revelation�s literary framework, style and structure, as those arising from the biblical use of the expression "one thousand years". 1. On whether there is chronological continuity between Revelation 19 and 20 Fundamental to a belief on a wholly future earthly millennial kingdom is the assumption of a chronological continuity between the visions of Chapter 19 and those of Chapter 20; that is, the defeat of the beast, the kings of the earth and their armies is temporally followed by Satan�s binding and the coming to life and reign of beheaded saints. However, that this is the case is by no means obvious. Most students of Revelation have long ago noticed that while in each vision there is some kind of orderly intensification (the seals, the trumpets, the vials), there are also discontinuities among them, as if each series of visions showed at least partially overlapped events. From written records, we learn that the first to point out this characteristic feature of Revelation was the millennarian Church Father, Victorinus bishop of Pettau (who died ca. 304). At the end of his remarks on Ch.

7 he wrote, concerning the similarities between the seals, the trumpets and the bowls: "We must not regard the order of what is said, because frequently the Holy Spirit, when He has traversed even to the end of the last times, returns again to the same times, and fills up what He had [before] failed to see. Nor must we look for order in the Apocalypse; but we must follow the meaning of those things which are prophesied." (Commentary on the Apocalypse; in A. Roberts & J. Donaldson, Ed., The Antenicene Fathers; Repr. 1989, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 7:352). In other words, the Seer from Patmos leads us time and again from the beginning to the end of salvation history, in several partially paralel sections that follow a pattern of repetition with elaboration. This approach, later called recapitulation, is one of the keys for understanding Revelation. Most interpreters from different schools agree that there is an evident discontinuity between Chapters 11 and 12: From the apparent end ushered by the seventh trumpet we are unexpectedly carried back to the time before Jesus Christ�s birth.

Now, we can find clues that allows us to delineate seven sections in the book: [1]. The glorious Savior ruling His churches : Ch. 1-3 (Introduction, messages to the Churches; turning point: John is called up to heaven). [2]. The Lamb as the revealer and executor of God�s plan: Ch. 4-7 (heavenly vision, God & the Lamb, the book, the seals; turning point: "God will wipe away every tear..."). [3]. The proclaming of God�s rule and warnings of the coming judgments: Ch. 8-11 (The censer, the trumpets, the temple, the two witnesses; turning point: the opening of God�s heavenly temple). [4]. The Battle of Satan and his followers against Christ and His church: Ch. 12-14 (The Woman, the male Child and the Dragon; the beasts; the Lamb & the 144,000, the great multitude in heaven; turning point: the harvest of the earth). [5]. The wrath of God poured on earth: Ch. 15-16 (The plagues, the bowls; turning point: judgment, "the plague was so terrible").

[6]. The victory of the Lamb over the unrighteous of the earth: Ch. 17-19 (Babylon, her downfall, heavenly celebration, judgment; turning point: "The rest of them were killed..."). [7]. The final triumph over Satan and the eternal blessing of the saints: Ch. 20-22 (Satan�s binding, the saints raised and reigning, Satan�s final attack, general resurrection and judgment, new heavens and earth, heavenly Jerusalem, epilogue). Colin Brown, Editor of the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975-1978), says that "there is a very strong case for seeing the whole book as structured in seven series of visions corresponding to the seven days of the creation story in Gen. 1, each of which looks at the Church in the gospel age. The visions are thus seven sets of parallel visions of the church and its tribulations between the two advents of Christ.

In this view the period of a thousand years refers to the present era culminating in a final outburst of Satanic activity prior to the final destruction of all the evils that afflict man." (sub voce "chilias", 2:702). I agree, and let me show you why I believe that Chapter 20 does not follow chronologically Chapter 19, but starts another section, the last one, culminating with the eternal state. At the start of Chapter 20 we learn that Satan has been bound. with a goal that�s carefully specified by John: "to keep him from deceiving the nations any more...". So we must accept that there are still nations that can be deceived, and 20:7f dramatically confirms this. However, in 19: 11-21 we have learned that all earthly foes of God have been utterly destroyed, so nobody is left that may be deceived! 2. The binding of Satan (Revelation 20:1-3) To understand what John wants to convey with this vision, we first must look to other NT texts related to the binding of Satan. He was initially defeated by Jesus in the desert (Matt.

4:1-11). Afterwards, he suffered defeat after defeat during Christ�s ministry. To those who accused Jesus of driving out demons by Beelzebub�s (= Satan�s) power; He answered that it was actually by God�s power that he drove them out, and asked: "how can anyone enter a strong man�s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house" (Matt 12:29). It should be pointed out that the Greek verb deö, to bind, here translated "ties up" is the very same verb used of Satan�s binding in Rev 20. Those who object that Satan is still struggling to carry out his deceptive work (e.g., 1 Cor 7:5; 2 Cor 3:15; 11:3f, 13-15) overlook that the binding implies a restriction, not total neutralization. For example, the very same verb (deö) is employed of John the Baptist�s binding by Herod (Matt. 14:3), which nevertheless didn�t prevent John from sending his disciples to Jesus (Matt. 11:1-7).

Another example of this verb used to depict a relative restriction is found in Romans 7: 2 , "For the woman who has a husband is bound by the law to [her] husband as long as he lives." Jesus massive atack against Satan�s kingdom is stressed in many NT passages. For example, Jesus� remarked that "the gates of Hades" would not prevail against the Church (Matt. 16:18). The image is that of a city (Hades) besieged by an adversary (the Church) strong enough to throw down the city�s gate, thus indicating the offensive power of God�s people. The Lord declared "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" in connection with the mission of the 72 (Luke 10:18, cf. Rev 12:9!). Similarly we read: "now the prince of this world will be driven out"; "the prince of this world now stands condemned"; he has no hold on Jesus (John 12:31; 16:11; 14:30).

Paul asserted that in his ascension, Christ "led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men" (Eph 4:8, quoting Ps 68:18); "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (Col 2:15). The decisive battle was, then, already won at the cross, as also Hebrews reminds us: "he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy (katargesei, "render powerless") him who holds the power of death �that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14). Thus, the uniform teaching of the NT is that the decisive victory over Satan was won at Christ�s FIRST COMING; it was then that Satan was bound. It is on this ground that the victory of believers against the devil is boldly proclaimed. Paul was commissioned by the Lord himself to "open their (Jews� and Gentiles�) eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18). Believers are more than conquerors (Rom 8:37-39).

They are aware of Satan�s schemes (2 Cor 2:11). They have been rescued from the realm of darkness (Col 1:13). The Father and Jesus protect them from the Evil One (John 17:15; 2 Tess 3:3; 1 Pet 1:1; 1 John 5:18). Christians can stand against Satan�s plots with the armour of God, and they can succesfully resist the devil (Jas 4:7; 1 Pet 5:8). In a real sense, believers already "have overcome the evil one" (1 John 2:13b, 14b). The NT clearly teaches that the time during which Satan is prevented from deceiving the nations is the present Gospel era. So Simeon�s praise, the Nunc Dimitis, finishes thus: "a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel" (Luke 2:32). In the ministry of John the Baptist, Luke saw the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3-5, and said "and all mankind will see God�s salvation" (Luke 3:6).

When Jesus saw the centurion�s faith, He said: "many will come from the east and west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 8:11). To the Samaritan woman He said: "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." (John 4:21). After the resurrection, He commanded the eleven to "go and make disciples from all nations" (Matt 28:19), or, in Luke�s account, "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8), since "repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47). Furthermore, after Jesus healed the man with a shrivelled hand on a Sabbath, Matthew lets us know that "This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: � ... in His name the nations will put their hope� " (Matt. 12:17,21). Throughout the Book of Acts we witness the promise to the nations becoming a tangible reality.

Thus, the gospel is first addressed to Jews "from every nation under heaven" and they convert to Christ by the thousands (Acts 2:5, 41, 47; 5:16, 42; 6:1,7). After Stephen�s death, the Gospel reaches the Samaritans and the Ethiopian (Acts 8), and then other Gentiles (Acts 10). This calling of the Gentiles was seen by James as in agreement with the Scripture as signalling the time when "the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord" (Acts 15:13-18, quoting Amos 9:11f). When people attempted to perform sacrifices to Barnabas and Paul in Lystra, Paul said: "We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God...In the past, He (God) let all nations go their own way" (Acts 14:15f, emphasis mine). Returning to Antioch in Syria, Barnabas and Paul reported that God "had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" (v.

27). Similarly, in his address in the Areopagus Paul said: "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead" (Acts 17:30f, emphasis mine). Furthermore, Luke reports that at Gentile Christians at Ephesus burned their sorcery scrolls (19:19). To unbelieving Jews at Rome, Paul remarked "I want you to know that God�s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" (28:28). Paul explained to Timothy that Christ "was preached among the nations" (1 Tim 3:16). From the resurrection on, Satan can only blind those who stubbornly refuse to accept the Gospel (Rom 1:18-32; 2 Cor 4:4; 1 Tim 1:20; 5:15).

In the very book of Revelation, the devil cannot prevent, notwithstanding his furious efforts through his allies, the Gospel from being preached "to every nation, and tribe, and language, and people" (Rev 14:6; Cf. 10:11). Also, the gathering before God�s throne of people from all nations, that Satan could obviously not deceive, is clearly described: "with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation"; "there before me there was a great multitude that no-one could count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb" (Rev 7:9; 14:6). Finally, from 2 Thessalonians 2 we may infer still another sense in which Satan is restrained, and this is that he cannot set up the kingdom of the Man of Sin. Even when it is very debatable who and what is hindering him, there is no question an obstacle, most probably a God ordained one. In conclusion, if Satan was bound at Christ�s first coming, it follows that the period styled by John as "one thousand years" is not some future earthly kingdom, but the present Gospel age.

As we pursue this study, further evidence for this view will be presented. THE THOUSAND YEARS OF REVELATION 20 [Part 2] Fernando D. Saraví In the first part of this essay one of the outstanding events that occurs during the thousand years, namely Satan�s binding, was analyzed and interpreted within the framework of NT teaching. Now it is the turn of the remaining major event, namely the resurrection and reign of the saints. This is what the text , Rev 20: 4-6, actually says (the former is a translation as literal as possible; the later is the text from NIV): 3. Those who reign with Christ (Revelation 20:4-6) "And I saw thrones and they were seated on them, and judgment was given to them, even [or and] the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and who did not worship the beast nor his image and did not receive the mark on their forehead and on their hands. And they lived [again] and reigned with the Christ [for a] thousand years.

The other dead did not come back to life until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection. Blessed and holy he who has a part in the first resurrection; the second death has no authority over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and will reign with him for the thousand years." "I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshipped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years (the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended). This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." (NIV) The right interpretation of these verses is a much debated issue among committed Christians. The task is difficult, but not hopeless.

We should begin from the immediate context, the larger context of the book of Revelation, and the even larger context of the Bible as a whole. We should employ the principle of the analogy of faith, i.e., that Scripture interprets Scripture; thus we can gain a better understanding of difficult texts if we see them in the light of clearer texts. This is particularly important when we deal with a writing that makes liberal use of symbolic language as the present one. For a proper understanding of what this controversial passage says, it may be profitable first to note what it fails to mention. The reason for this unusual approach is that, believe it or not, many interpreters put into this text a lot of things that simply are not there. They assume �usually on the basis of a preconceived framework- that these things are implicit. I will not challenge, for the time being, the validity of this assumption, but simply point out that the following things are not actually mentioned: [1] Location. We are not told if the reign John saw took place in a heavenly or earthly realm. [2] A temple. In fact, no building at all is mentioned. [3] Sacrifices. No worship is described. [4] Jerusalem.

Neither heavenly nor earthly Jerusalem are mentioned. [5] Israel. Any mention of the land of Israel (Eretz Israel) is lacking [6] The Jewish people. Not a single Jewish name, no tribe at all, is mentioned. [7] The Gentile nations. They are not in sight in this part of John�s vision. [8] Earthly life conditions. Peaceful living, the birth of babies, house building, harvesting and the like are conspicuously absent. Therefore, those Christians who believe that this text depicts an earthly kingdom are forced to supply some or all of these things to John�s succint description. They usually draw plenty of material from OT prophecies that speak of a glorious future Davidic kingdom. Many of those who embrace this approach adhere to it because they believe it to be required by a literal interpretation of the Bible. However, a little reflection will show that this approach falls short of a so called "consistent literalism." Some early Church Fathers -most notably Irenaeus of Lyon- thought that here an earthly rule of the Church after Christ�s second coming is envisaged. No early orthodox millennialist entertained for a minute that the thousand years would be a Jewish kingdom.

Therefore, they had to apply all OT prophecies not to Israel as a nation, but to the Christian church. On the other hand, some current day exegetes start from the basic assumption that prophecies addressed to Israel must be fulfilled physically (although they call it a literal fulfillment, actually a physical, as oposed to a spiritual, fulfillment is intended). Since this did not happen in the past, these prophecies must be fulfilled in the future, and they find no other time for this but the thousand years of Revelation 20. Some relevant prophecies in this regard are found in Isaiah (9, 11, 24-27, 35, 65-66), Ezekiel 37-48; Zechariah 12,14,etc. However, in order to apply all these prophecies to the one thousand years period mentioned in Revelation 20, some significant concessions have to be made. This is because these prophecies depict the glorious future of Israel with a language clearly resembling OT culture, to wit: [1] The kingdom will be established and kept by sheer power.

[2] The nations will serve Israel [3] Transportation will require ancient means, like asses, horses and chariots. [4] Weapons will be old fashioned (spears, swords, shields and the like). [5] Sacrifices will be restablished as under Moses�Law [6] New Moons, sabbath days and all OT feasts will be celebrated again. For belief in a literal earthly kingdom to be sustained, at least some of these things must be understood in figurative, or at least typical ways. But in so doing, the very same principle on which this view is based is undermined. Those who believe in a future Jewish millennium cannot have it both ways. On the other hand, some of the Scriptures on which this view is based , if taken literally, seem to contradict this futuristic view. For example, in Isaiah 25:8 we read that God "will swallow up death forever", yet Isaiah 65: 20, literally interpreted, implies that death is still there. In Isaiah 11:9 it says that "the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea".

Notwithstanding this bright text, we learn that at the end of the millennium there are vast God-hating hordes waging war against God�s people. In Isaiah 9:7, another Scripture applied to the millennial kingdom, it is said that "Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end." This is simply not true if there will be a worlwide rebellion at the end of this period. At its best, this millennial kingdom would have a "peace" that would be a lack of war out of fear, not willing submission and knowledge of the truth. Another example concerns the duration of the kingdom. The kingdom spoken by OT prophets was clearly to be eternal: "He will reign on David�s throne ... from that time on and forever" (Isaiah 9:7, Cf. Ezekiel 36:26ff). Of course it may be argued that the kingdom that begins with the millennium will stand forever, but then, why the segregation of its first thousand years? Finally, one of the main texts advanced as proof of this view, namely Isaiah 65:17-25, begins with the words: "Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth".

In the NT, this promise is understood to be fulfilled after this present world has passed away: "But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness (2 Pet 3:13, see vv. 10-12). Similarly, the new heavens and the new earth are not mentioned in connection with the thousand years. They are, however, seen in Revelation 21:1 after the millennium is over. The above discussion is meant to show the problems arising when attempts are made to make too much of the thousand years kingdom, and particularly when it is understood as an earthly political rule of Christ. Therefore, we must turn to the NT, which is both God�s final revelation and His inspired interpretation of the OT prophecies. We will start from the text, continue to the context provided by the book of Revelation, and finally examine the broader NT teachings on the kingdom. At this point, it will be useful to read again very carefully the text of Revelation 20:4-6. John has just seen Satan�s binding. Now the scenario changes: He sees thrones. Where are they? As pointed out before, the text itself does not tell us this.

Thrones are mentioned 47 times in Revelation. Only three times earthly thrones are mentioned, and invariably they belong to evil powers: Satan�s throne once (2:13) and the beast�s throne twice (13:2; 16:10). The other 41 instances besides 20:4, the thrones belong to God (1:4, etc; 37 times), to the Lamb (3:21; 22:3) or to the 24 elders (4:4; 11:16). In all these instances, heavenly thrones are meant. Therefore, it is possible that the same be true for the thrones John saw. To whom do these thrones belong? The description of those who took their seats on the thrones is intriguing. Some say that they are a group distinct from those mentioned in the same phrase, but I find no firm basis for this. This company is described in the following clauses of the same verse. John says that he saw the souls (tas psychas) of those beheaded (pepelekismenön, literally those killed with an axe) because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God.

This description, however, is very similar to what John saw at the opening of the fifth seal: "I saw under the altar the souls (tas psychas) of those who had been slain (esphagmenön) because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained" (6:9). To these white robes were given. Might both of these groups of souls be one and the same company? If we turn to the messages addressed to the churches, we notice that to those who overcome both white robes and the privilege of sitting with Christ in His heavenly throne are promised (3:4f; 3:21). The overcomers in white robes have been seen by John in heaven (7:9, 13f), and the Bride herself, a figure of the Church, is dressed in fine linen, a symbol that corresponds to the "righteous acts of the saints" (19:8). Furthermore, about those souls seen by John in 20:4-6 it is declared that the second death has no power over them. This matches Jesus� promise to the overcomers in 2:11, "He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death".

The nature of the victory of the saints has little to do with earthly power. This is an important point, which is at the heart of Revelation. It is true that the book was written to reveal things that "must soon take place" (1:1), and that one of its goals is to strengthen believers facing persecution. But there is a deeper aspect, one that runs throughout the book, namely that in God�s plan, believers are expected not just to endure tribulation, but to boldly overcome through tribulation. It is the same pattern of Jesus Christ�s decisive victory on the cross. To the Lamb it is said: "you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain..." (5:9, my emphasis). The heavenly court also sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!" (5: 12). The same Greek verb, sphagmö, is used for "slain" here and in 6:9, where the martyrs are seen under the altar. Jesus himself says that this is God�s path to real, eternal victory: "To him who overcomes ...

just as I overcame..." (3:21, emphasis mine). Similarly, in 12:11 it is said that "They overcame him [the dragon, i.e. Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death". Those who sit on the thrones fit the description of the overcomers: they were "beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God", and this also means that they refused to worship the beast or his image and to receive his mark. Although this is not explicitly mentioned here, in the message to the Church in Philadelphia Jesus says that the overcomers will have the name of God, the new name of Jesus (the Lamb?) and the name of the new Jerusalem written on them (3:12). We can further speculate, although I would not press on this, that the names written on them are equivalent to "the seal of the living God" that protects His servants against the plagues unleashed not by unrighteous powers but as a result of God�s judgment over the "inhabitants of the earth" (7:1-8; 9:4).

Now we come to a paradox. These saints have been defeated by the beast, who has killed them. In previous chapters it is said that the beast was given power to conquer the saints and to kill the witnesses (13:7; 11:7). But it is also said that they overcame the dragon, who is the beast�s master, and they are unmistakably depicted as conquerors in Chapter 20. How can they be simultaneously losers and overcomers? Actually they cannot be both things at the same time and in the same sense. The short answer is that our perspective will determine our assessment as to the winner in this spiritual war. They are losers in a sense and at the same time overcomers in a different sense. Again, this is the pattern followed by the Lord. From their own, limited earthly perspective, at first His disciples only saw a tragedy in Jesus�death (Luke 24:20f; John 20:10f). However, the crucifixion was actually Jesus� path to enter His glory and to receive all authority on heaven and on earth (Luke 24:26; Matt 28:18).

As noted above, this was also the occasion of His decisive triumph over the powers of darkness. The risen Lord himself showed the heavenly perspective, which is the true one, to His disciples. The same happens with Christ�s followers. For an earthly observer, they have been utterly defeated and killed. Their life has come to an end; they are no more, and this is their sad fate. But as God sees them, nothing could be farther from the truth. In His controversy with the Saducees, Jesus refuted their unbelief in resurrection with this conclusion: "For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him." (Luke 20:38).The faithful martyrs and confessors are alive; not just alive, but also reigning with Christ, even as Christ is reigning now! Thus, John�s vision stresses not just that the faithfulness of true believers will be rewarded in the end, but that it is being rewarded right now; and that to boldly face suffering as Christ did is the path to overcome as He did (by the way, it�s interesting to note that the cowardly rank first among those excluded from the heavenly Jerusalem, 21:8!).

In what sense did these souls "came to life"? This is a much debated issue. As a rule, those who believe in an earthly millennium assert that a physical, bodily resurrection is here intended. However, this is by no means obvious. John calls the coming to life of those reigning with Christ "the first resurrection". In his vision, he saw the souls of those beheaded,etc. He says that they "lived" (ezësan). The tense conveys the meaning "they come to life", or "they lived again". This reminds us the answer that Jesus gave to Martha: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live (zësetai) even though he dies" (John 11:25). In fact, there are many Scriptures that depict salvation as life eternal and even resurrection; for example, see the following Scriptures: "unless you can eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will rise him up at the last day ... the one who feeds on me will live because of me...

he who feeds on this bread will live for ever" (John 6: 53f, 57f). "Because I live, you also will live" (John 14:19). "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus" (Rom 6:11). "But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness ... if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live..." (Rom 8: 10,13). "...God... made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions ... And God raised us up with Christ and seated with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus..." (Eph 2:4f). "having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God..." (Col 2:12). "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God" (Col 3:1).

"Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him" (2 Tim 2:11f). "He himself bore our sins ... so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness" (1 Pet 2:24). "He [God] sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him" (1 John 4:9). Thus, there is no a priori reason why the "first resurrection" must necessarily be understood as a physical one, first because John is speaking about souls and second because the NT frequently uses the terms "to live" and even "to be raised up" in a profoundly spiritual sense. Furthermore, it should be remembered that in Revelation John is displaying before us things from a heavenly perspective, as God sees them: For the world, martyred Christians are dead, but in truth they are alive, reigning and judging with Christ. Those who were under the earthly kings� rule, now are themselves heavenly kings; those condemned by the earthly judges are now judges belonging to the highest court.

One of the promises earlier made to the overcomers was that they can�t be harmed by the second death (2:11). Again, John says here that "the second death has no power over them" (20:6). An intriguing feature is that while both the first resurrection and the second death are mentioned, neither the second resurrection nor the first death are. However, the later are implied by the former. Following this logic, the first death must be physical death (Cf. Heb 9:27), and the second resurrection must be that described in 20:12f. This is obviously a physical resurrection. Some interpreters contend that if the second resurrection is a physical one, then the first one should be of the same kind. But this is arbitrary, as can be readily seen when we consider the nature of the first and second deaths. Our Lord spoke of spiritual and physical death in the same verse: "let the dead bury their own dead" (Matt 8:22). And again, "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul [first death].

Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell [second death]" (Matt 10:28). If there is both a physical (first) death and a spiritual, eternal, second death, it seems reasonable to assume that the same thing may be true of the resurrection. Thus, if the second resurrection is physical, the first must be spiritual. To sum up this chiasm: First resurrection (spiritual); First death (physical) Second resurrection (physical); Second death (spiritual) Therefore, those who partake in the first resurrection will also partake in the second one, but they won�t go through the second death. Actually, this pattern is also found in Jesus� words during His earthly ministry: "I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live ... a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out � those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned" (John 5:25, 28f).

In Christ�s own words, there will be a "resurrection of life" and "a resurrection of condemnation." At the Lord�s return, only two fates are possible: resurrection (transformation) for life eternal, or resurrection for eternal punishment. There is no indication whatsoever that any believer still alive at the time of the Parousia will remain in his physical, corruptible body; nor there is any hint that unbelievers may remain in that condition after that time. Rather the opposite is taught by 2 Thessalonians 1 and 2 Peter 3. In summary, that company of overcomers first seen under the heavenly altar, and then singing praises to God before the heavenly throne, is now seen enthroned, as heavenly priests, kings and judges with Christ. There is obviously a progression in their perceived status as the revelation unfolds. THE THOUSAND YEARS OF REVELATION 20 [Part 3 and last] Chiliad | Define Chiliad at Dictionary.com chiliad a period of 1000 years.

Origin of chiliad 1590-1600; < Late Latin chīliad- (stem of chīlias) < Greek, equivalent to chī́li(oi) 1000 + -ad- -ad 1 Related forms Examples from the Web for chiliad Expand Historical Examples Or, from the Greek, chiliad; and hence the word chiliasm, expressing the belief in a millennium. Anarchism E. V. Zenker British Dictionary definitions for chiliad Expand a group of one thousand 2. C16: from Greek khilias, from khilioi a thousand Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 Word Origin and History for chiliad Expand n.

"group of 1,000" (of the same sort), 1590s, from Latinized form of Greek khiliados, from khilioi "a thousand; the number 1,000" (see chiliasm ). Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Question: How many years in a chiliad?
Answer: One Thousand